SIR LEWIS HAMILTON was left devastated after killing a rodent during the Canadian Grand Prix
The F1 legend ran over a groundhog at near warp speed as he zipped around Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last Sunday afternoon.
Sir Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in last Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix[/caption]
The F1 legend accidentally killed a groundhog during the race[/caption]
The animal lover was left devastated by the death of the rodent[/caption]
Hamilton ran over the critter on the 12th lap of the race, which resulted in some minor damage to his Ferrari and a loss of downforce.
The animal lover was blissfully unaware of his accidental killing of the groundhog and was crushed to have learned its fate from a member of the team.
The Stevenage speedster told Sky Sports: “I got a good start [to the race], held position.
“I was holding onto the group and managing tyres well, so I was feeling optimistic.
“Then, and I didn’t see it happen, but I heard I hit a groundhog.
“That’s devastating, I love animals and that’s so, so sad. That’s never happened to me here before.
“But the floor, the right side, there’s a hole in it and all the vanes are all gone.”
Hamilton finished the race – which was won by his former Mercedes team-mate George Russell – in sixth place.
Inside track on Hamilton’s life
LEWIS HAMILTON has driven his way into pole position as Formula One’s most prolific winner.
The British speedster lives life in the fast lane both on and off the track, with a string of high-profile romances and jet-set lifestyle.
Hamilton made his name at McLaren and Mercedes but stunned the racing world by signing a £100million deal to join Ferrari for next season.
His exploits have seen him rub shoulders with Hollywood icon Brad Pitt but Lew snubbed the chance to feature in Top Gun 2.
And fans can follow his fortunes on the latest season of Netflix’s smash hit Drive To Survive.
Hamilton’s talent saw him go from humble origins in Stevenage to boasting an £11m car collection.
He joined celeb dating app Raya after splitting from Brazilian beauty Juliana Nalu.
And his exes are said to include Rita Ora, Rihanna and Nicole Scherzinger.
Hamilton was embroiled in a bitter feud with Nico Rosberg but the pair buried the hatchet to sport £35k watches they were given for FREE.
He also shared high-profile battles with Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
But his most shocking showdown saw Max Verstappen handed the World Championship over him by a controversial safety car decision.
The Brit is chasing a record eighth world title – the first of which came in 2008 and has seen Felipe Masa sue F1 for £62m after a crash saw him miss out.
Check out all our Lewis Hamilton articles here.
The 40-year-old said: “Given that and we had a brake issue halfway through as well, and we stayed out probably too long after the first stop and came out behind traffic and it just went from one thing to another.
“So I’m happy I could just finish, especially with the brake issue I had.
“We’re really in need of an upgrade and there’s a lot of things that need to change before we can fight at the front.”
Hamilton and his rivals will be back in action a week on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring in the Austrian Grand Prix.
